The Star's Promise

I stared at the purse resting on my lap, unable to tear my eyes away from it.

(How had it gotten here?)

A moment ago, I had been focused on the impossible revelation that Yurika Mizuno was a character from Idol of Starlight. But now, another mystery demanded my attention.

Taking a slow breath, I opened the purse.

The moment I looked inside, my confusion deepened.

Everything was there.

My phone.

My wallet.

My red lipstick.

Even the purse itself was the one I had left behind in my room aboard the cruise ship.

I frowned.

"How did it get here?" I muttered.

"I'm sure I left my purse in my cabin before I went out to get some fresh air on the deck."

None of it made sense.

If Yurika was telling the truth, then I had appeared out of nowhere on a street in this world. But if that was the case, how had my belongings followed me here?

My hands tightened slightly around the purse as I searched through its contents.

Then I picked up my wallet.

As soon as I opened it, my eyes widened.

Nestled among the cards was a familiar black card.

For a moment, I could only stare at it.

This wasn't an ordinary credit card.

It was the special black card my grandfather had given me years ago—a card connected to an account containing millions. He had insisted I keep it for emergencies, saying that no matter what happened, I should always have a way to take care of myself.

Seeing it here sent a chill through me.

The card should have been in my room on the cruise ship.

Yet it was now sitting in my hands as though it had crossed worlds alongside me.

My heartbeat quickened.

If my belongings had truly come with me...

Then maybe this wasn't a dream.

Maybe I had really been transported into the world of Idol of Starlight.

_______________

The next afternoon, sunlight streamed through the hospital window, bathing the room in a warm golden glow.

Serena sat quietly on her bed, gazing outside.

From the window, she could see rows of buildings stretching into the distance, small houses nestled between them, and mountains rising beneath the clear blue sky.

It was a beautiful view.

A peaceful view.

Yet despite the calm scenery, her mind was anything, but peaceful.

The events of yesterday continued to replay in her head.

Yurika Mizuno.

Idol of Starlight.

The invalid phone number.

The belongings that should have remained aboard the cruise ship.

Every answer she found only seemed to create even more questions.

Lost in thought, Serena barely noticed the passage of time.

Then suddenly—

The curtain was pulled open.

"Serena! I'm here!"

A familiar cheerful voice filled the room.

Yurika stepped inside, slightly out of breath as if she had hurried all the way there.

But the smile on her face slowly faded.

Her eyes landed on Serena.

Serena was still staring out the window.

Her expression was calm.

Too calm.

The life that usually lingered in her eyes was gone.

For a brief moment, they looked empty.

Hollow.

Like the eyes of someone who had lost everything.

Yurika froze.

A chill ran down her spine.

"Serena...?"

She called her name cautiously.

No response.

Her heart sank.

The woman sitting by the window looked less like a patient recovering in a hospital and more like a lifeless doll.

"Serena."

This time, her voice was softer.

Serena slowly turned her head toward her.

The same empty eyes met Yurika's gaze.

For a second, Yurika felt as though she were looking at a dead woman.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the emptiness vanished.

Life returned to Serena's eyes.

The corners of her lips curved upward into a gentle smile.

"Yurika?" she said.

Her voice sounded completely normal.

"You really came back."

The warmth of her smile contrasted so sharply with what Yurika had just seen that she almost wondered if she had imagined it.

Almost.

But the uneasiness in her chest refused to disappear.

"Wait—don't tell me you ran all the way here just to see me?" Serena asked with a soft chuckle.

The tension in Yurika's chest instantly eased.

The unsettling image from moments ago began to fade, replaced by the familiar Serena she had met yesterday.

Yurika let out an embarrassed laugh and rubbed the back of her head.

"Haha... maybe a little."

A faint blush crept onto her face.

"It's because I want to get to know you better," she admitted with a bright smile.

The sincerity in her voice caught Serena off guard.

There was no hidden motive.

No hesitation.

Just simple, honest kindness.

Yurika pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down.

"Besides," she continued cheerfully, "after finding someone unconscious out of nowhere and then visiting them for two days, I'd say we're already halfway to becoming friends."

Serena couldn't help but laugh.

"That's a strange way to make friends."

"I know, right?" Yurika grinned.

For a moment, the weight that had been pressing down on Serena's shoulders felt a little lighter.

The hospital room no longer felt quite as lonely.

"Then I'm going to start asking a lot of questions," Yurika declared, pointing a finger at Serena with determination.

Serena couldn't help but smile.

"Okay. But if I answer your questions, then you have to answer mine too."

"Deal!"

Yurika immediately reached into the bag she had brought and pulled out an orange.

"Here."

She handed it to Serena before sitting up straighter in her chair.

"Let's start with something simple. Age and birthday."

She proudly placed a hand on her chest.

"I'm twenty-two years old, and my birthday is June 15."

Then she leaned forward expectantly.

"What about you?"

Serena peeled the orange and popped a slice into her mouth.

"I'm twenty-three. My birthday is January 28."

Yurika's eyes widened.

"Ohhh! You're older than me!"

"By a few months."

"That still counts."

Yurika nodded seriously before grabbing her phone.

"Okay, next question!"

And so the interrogation began.

One question became ten.

Ten became twenty.

They talked about their favorite foods, hobbies, embarrassing childhood memories, and countless other topics. Occasionally, Serena would ask questions of her own, and Yurika would answer without hesitation.

Before either of them realized it, hours had passed.

The afternoon sunlight had gradually turned orange, casting a warm glow throughout the hospital room.

Yurika happened to glance at her phone.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh!"

She immediately sat upright.

"I have to go home now."

Serena looked up from the book she had been absentmindedly flipping through.

Yurika stood from her chair and slipped her phone into her bag before looking back at Serena.

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

"It's a good thing you're being discharged tomorrow."

"Yeah."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Yurika's shoulders drooped slightly.

"But..." she began.

Serena tilted her head.

"But what?"

Yurika looked away for a second before meeting Serena's gaze again.

"I wanted to hang out with you more."

A faint pout appeared on her face.

"And I still want to know more about you."

The disappointment in her voice was obvious.

Serena stared at her for a moment before a smile slowly spread across her face.

"Then why don't you come here again tomorrow?"

Yurika blinked.

"Huh?"

"After I'm discharged, we can go somewhere together."

Serena's smile softened.

"Outside the hospital."

For a moment, Yurika simply stared at her.

Then her eyes lit up.

"Really?!"

The excitement in her voice echoed throughout the room.

Serena laughed.

"Really."

Yurika clenched her fists in victory.

"Then it's a promise!"

Her bright smile was so dazzling that Serena found herself smiling back.

For the first time since arriving in this strange world, she found herself looking forward to tomorrow.

__________

After leaving the hospital, Yurika walked down the sidewalk with a light step.

The promise she had made with Serena lingered pleasantly in her mind.

Tomorrow.

They were going to spend time together outside the hospital.

The thought alone was enough to make her smile.

As she walked, her phone suddenly vibrated inside her bag.

"Hm?"

Yurika stopped, and reached for her phone.

A new message notification appeared on the screen.

The sender was an unknown account.

She opened it.

Unknown Account:

«You have composed beautiful songs.»

Yurika blinked.

"... What?"

After a moment of hesitation, she typed a reply.

Yurika:

«Who is this?»

The response arrived almost instantly.

Unknown Account:

«Someone who appreciates talent.»

Yurika stared at the screen.

Then she sighed.

Yurika:

«That's not creepy at all.»

A few seconds later, another message appeared.

Unknown Account:

«My apologies. I simply wished to compliment your work.»

Yurika frowned.

Yurika:

«What work?»

Unknown Account:

«The songs you uploaded to your account.»

Her fingers froze above the screen.

A strange feeling crept into her chest.

Yurika:

«What account?»

The typing indicator appeared immediately.

Unknown Account:

«The one you deleted several months ago.»

Yurika's breath caught.

Her heart skipped a beat.

That account...

It was an old music account she had created years ago.

A place where she uploaded songs she had written herself.

Nobody knew about it.

Not her coworkers.

Not her friends.

Not even her family.

And she had deleted it months ago.

So how could this stranger know about it?

Yurika quickly typed another message.

Yurika:

«How do you know about that account?»

There was a brief pause.

Then—

Unknown Account:

«Because I listened to every song.»

Yurika's grip tightened around her phone.

Yurika:

«That's impossible. The account doesn't exist anymore.»

Unknown Account:

«The account may be gone. The songs are not.»

A chill ran down her spine.

Yurika:

«Who are you?»

This time, the reply took longer.

Several seconds passed.

Then the message arrived.

Unknown Account:

«Someone waiting for your next song.»

Yurika immediately typed back.

Yurika:

«I stopped writing songs.»

The response came almost instantly.

Unknown Account:

«No. You only stopped sharing them.»

Yurika's eyes widened.

For a moment, she couldn't move.

Because the stranger was right.

She still wrote songs.

Late at night.

In notebooks.

On her phone.

On scraps of paper.

She simply never showed them to anyone anymore.

A final message appeared.

Unknown Account:

«Don't let your talent disappear, Yurika Mizuno. It would be a waste.»

Yurika stared at the screen.

A dozen questions raced through her mind.

But before she could type another reply—

The chat vanished.

The account disappeared as if it had never existed.

Leaving Yurika standing alone on the sidewalk, staring at her phone in stunned silence.

_________

The next morning, Yurika arrived at the hospital at exactly 9:30 a.m.

A bright smile rested on her face as she made her way through the hallways.

Today was the day Serena would be discharged.

Just thinking about the plans they had made yesterday filled her with excitement.

Before long, she reached Serena's room.

"Good morning, Serena—"

The greeting died on her lips.

The room was empty.

The bed had been neatly made, and Serena's belongings were nowhere in sight.

For a moment, Yurika simply stood there in confusion.

"Did she already leave?"

A hint of panic crept into her voice.

She quickly stepped back into the hallway and looked around.

Just then, a nurse happened to be passing by.

Yurika immediately approached her.

"Excuse me, Nurse," she called out politely. "Have you seen the woman who was staying in this room?"

The nurse glanced toward the room before recognition appeared on her face.

"Oh, you mean Serena Quinn?"

Yurika nodded.

"Yes!"

"I think I saw her a little while ago," the nurse replied.

She pointed down the hallway toward a nearby staircase.

"She went that way. If I remember correctly, she was heading up the stairs that lead to the rooftop."

"The rooftop?" Yurika repeated.

The nurse nodded.

"That's right."

"Thank you!"

Without wasting another second, Yurika hurried in the direction the nurse had indicated.

As she approached the staircase, a strange feeling settled in her chest.

She wasn't sure why.

But for some reason, she suddenly felt the urge to find Serena as quickly as possible.

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